In America, Nigerians' education pursuit is above restWhether driven by immigration or family, data show more earn degrees

By LESLIE CASIMIR

For Woodlands resident David Olowokere, one of Nigeria's sons, having a master's degree in engineering just wasn't enough for his people back home. So he got a doctorate.

His wife, Shalewa Olowokere, a civil engineer, didn't stop at a bachelor's, either. She went for her master's.

The same obsession with education runs in the Udeh household in Sugar Land. Foluke Udeh and her husband, Nduka, both have master's degrees. Anything less, she reckons, would have amounted to failure.

"If you see an average Nigerian family, everybody has a college degree these days," said Udeh, 32, a physical therapist at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. "But a post-graduate degree, that's like pride for the family."

Nigerian immigrants have the highest levels of education in this city and the nation, surpassing whites and Asians, according to Census data bolstered by an analysis of 13 annual Houston-area surveys conducted by Rice University.

Although they make up a tiny portion of the U.S. population, a whopping 17 percent of all Nigerians in this country held master's degrees while 4 percent had a doctorate, according to the 2006 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. In addition, 37 percent had bachelor's degrees.

In comparisonTo put those numbers in perspective, 8 percent of the white population in the U.S. had master's degrees, according to the Census survey. And 1 percent held doctorates. About 19 percent of white residents had bachelor's degrees. Asians come closer to the Nigerians with 12 percent holding master's degrees and 3 percent having doctorates.

The Nigerian numbers are "strikingly high," said Roderick Harrison, demographer at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a Washington, D.C., think tank that specializes in researching black issues. "There is no doubt that these are highly educated professionals who are probably working in the petrochemical, medical and business sectors in Houston."

Harrison analyzed the census data for the Houston Chronicle.

Stephen Klineberg, a sociologist at Rice University who conducts the annual Houston Area Survey, suspects the percentage of Nigerian immigrants with post-graduate degrees is higher than Census data shows.

Of all the Nigerian immigrants he reached in his random phone surveys 1994 through 2007 — 45 households total — Klineberg said 40 percent of the Nigerians said they had post-graduate degrees.

"These are higher levels of educational attainment than were found in any other ... community," Klineberg said.

There are more than 12,000 Nigerians in Houston, according to the latest Census data, a figure sociologists and Nigerian community leaders say is a gross undercount. They believe the number to be closer to 100,000.

Staying in schoolThe reasons Nigerians have more post-graduate degrees than any other racial or ethnic group are largely due to Nigerian society's emphasis on mandatory and free education. Once immigrating to this country, practical matters of immigration laws get in the way.

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 made it easier for Africans to enter the U.S., but mostly as students or highly skilled professionals — not through family sponsorships, Klineberg said.

So many Africans pursue higher levels of education as an unintended consequence of navigating the tricky minefield of immigration, said Amadu Jacky Kaba, an associate professor at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., who has done research on African immigrants in the U.S.

"In a way, it's a Catch-22 — because of immigration laws you are forced to remain in school, but then the funny thing is you end up getting your doctorate at the age of 29," Kaba said. "If you stay in school, immigration will leave you alone."

Although Kaba, who teaches Africana Studies, is not from Nigeria (he is Liberian), he said he, too, found himself pursuing a master's and then a doctorate to remain in this country legally.

But not all Africans have to go this route. Some say their motivation is driven by their desire to overcome being a double minority: black and African.

Take Oluyinka Olutoye, 41, associate professor of pediatric surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. He came to this country already as a medical doctor but decided to pursue his doctorate in anatomy to help set himself apart.

"Being black, you are already at a disadvantage," said Olutoye, whose wife, Toyin Olutoye, is an anesthesiologist at Baylor. "You really need to excel far above if you want to be considered for anything in this country."

Family expectationsAll this talk of education creates high expectations for children of Nigerian immigrants. The eldest child of David Olowokere, chairman of the engineering technologies department at Texas Southern University, for example, is already working on her master's degree in public health in Atlanta; the middle child is pursuing a bachelor's in pre-medicine. His youngest, a son, attends The Woodlands High School. He already has aspirations to go into engineering, just like his parents, Olowokere beams.

"The goal is for them to do as good as us — if not better," he said.

Oluyinka Olutoye put it another way.

"The typical saying in a Nigerian household is that the best inheritance that a parent can give you is not jewelry or cash or material things, it is a good education," he said. "It is expected."

In America, Nigerians' education pursuit is above restWhether driven by immigration or family, data show more earn degrees

By LESLIE CASIMIR

For Woodlands resident David Olowokere, one of Nigeria's sons, having a master's degree in engineering just wasn't enough for his people back home. So he got a doctorate.

His wife, Shalewa Olowokere, a civil engineer, didn't stop at a bachelor's, either. She went for her master's.

The same obsession with education runs in the Udeh household in Sugar Land. Foluke Udeh and her husband, Nduka, both have master's degrees. Anything less, she reckons, would have amounted to failure.

"If you see an average Nigerian family, everybody has a college degree these days," said Udeh, 32, a physical therapist at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. "But a post-graduate degree, that's like pride for the family."

Nigerian immigrants have the highest levels of education in this city and the nation, surpassing whites and Asians, according to Census data bolstered by an analysis of 13 annual Houston-area surveys conducted by Rice University.

Although they make up a tiny portion of the U.S. population, a whopping 17 percent of all Nigerians in this country held master's degrees while 4 percent had a doctorate, according to the 2006 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. In addition, 37 percent had bachelor's degrees.

In comparisonTo put those numbers in perspective, 8 percent of the white population in the U.S. had master's degrees, according to the Census survey. And 1 percent held doctorates. About 19 percent of white residents had bachelor's degrees. Asians come closer to the Nigerians with 12 percent holding master's degrees and 3 percent having doctorates.

The Nigerian numbers are "strikingly high," said Roderick Harrison, demographer at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a Washington, D.C., think tank that specializes in researching black issues. "There is no doubt that these are highly educated professionals who are probably working in the petrochemical, medical and business sectors in Houston."

Harrison analyzed the census data for the Houston Chronicle.

Stephen Klineberg, a sociologist at Rice University who conducts the annual Houston Area Survey, suspects the percentage of Nigerian immigrants with post-graduate degrees is higher than Census data shows.

Of all the Nigerian immigrants he reached in his random phone surveys 1994 through 2007 — 45 households total — Klineberg said 40 percent of the Nigerians said they had post-graduate degrees.

"These are higher levels of educational attainment than were found in any other ... community," Klineberg said.

There are more than 12,000 Nigerians in Houston, according to the latest Census data, a figure sociologists and Nigerian community leaders say is a gross undercount. They believe the number to be closer to 100,000.

Staying in schoolThe reasons Nigerians have more post-graduate degrees than any other racial or ethnic group are largely due to Nigerian society's emphasis on mandatory and free education. Once immigrating to this country, practical matters of immigration laws get in the way.

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 made it easier for Africans to enter the U.S., but mostly as students or highly skilled professionals — not through family sponsorships, Klineberg said.

So many Africans pursue higher levels of education as an unintended consequence of navigating the tricky minefield of immigration, said Amadu Jacky Kaba, an associate professor at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., who has done research on African immigrants in the U.S.

"In a way, it's a Catch-22 — because of immigration laws you are forced to remain in school, but then the funny thing is you end up getting your doctorate at the age of 29," Kaba said. "If you stay in school, immigration will leave you alone."

Although Kaba, who teaches Africana Studies, is not from Nigeria (he is Liberian), he said he, too, found himself pursuing a master's and then a doctorate to remain in this country legally.

But not all Africans have to go this route. Some say their motivation is driven by their desire to overcome being a double minority: black and African.

Take Oluyinka Olutoye, 41, associate professor of pediatric surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. He came to this country already as a medical doctor but decided to pursue his doctorate in anatomy to help set himself apart.

"Being black, you are already at a disadvantage," said Olutoye, whose wife, Toyin Olutoye, is an anesthesiologist at Baylor. "You really need to excel far above if you want to be considered for anything in this country."

Family expectationsAll this talk of education creates high expectations for children of Nigerian immigrants. The eldest child of David Olowokere, chairman of the engineering technologies department at Texas Southern University, for example, is already working on her master's degree in public health in Atlanta; the middle child is pursuing a bachelor's in pre-medicine. His youngest, a son, attends The Woodlands High School. He already has aspirations to go into engineering, just like his parents, Olowokere beams.

"The goal is for them to do as good as us — if not better," he said.

Oluyinka Olutoye put it another way.

"The typical saying in a Nigerian household is that the best inheritance that a parent can give you is not jewelry or cash or material things, it is a good education," he said. "It is expected."

If, you would prefer Moin Moin, or Farina (fufu) with soup over McDonalds any day.

If, you have ever treated a cold or sorethroat with "Pe-pe Soup".. AND IT WORKED!!!!!!

If you know what AKATA means.

If, your parents or relatives have ever disliked someone because of the simple fact that they were AKATA.

(for females) If, not being able to cook stew or soup is one of the most major burdens in life.

We have family friends whose daughters are named Chioma and Chinyere. I knew that their father is from Africa, so I think its safe to assume that he's Nigerian, judging from this post.

This made me smile. Here are my responses.

1. I refuse to "Americanize" my name for anyone--I'm a proud Nigerian. The 1st 2 syllables of my first name are easy to pronounce. That's what I go by.

2. Yep. I know what my ALL my names mean. LOL

3. As a student at Federal Gov College Port Harcourt in Rivers State, I encountered these names at least once. The most common ones were Ngozi and Obinna. Ola and Ade are prefixes of sorts, though. In my form four (sophomore) class we had Olatunde, Adebukola, Olafemi, Adekunle, Olatunji, Femilayo, etc. The name Chituru always cracked me up. Every Chituru I met was ghetto as hell!

4. Oh yes, the personality names. My friend's 3 sisters were named in the following order: Charity, Patience, and Faith. I knew a dude named GoodHope. I knew another guy named Charles Goodhead. And we had drivers named after everyday of the week, including Wednesday and Thursday. The most common weekday names were Sunday and Monday, I think.

5. Rice and stew is 'right' with fried plantain. I'm from Rivers State, so we don't call it dodo .

6. Moin moin is the bomb. It's also healthy. Farina is a poor substitute for garri/eba. Give me some eba with egusi soup made with goat meat and stockfish, and I'll be a very happy man .

7. Fo' sho! "Pepe" soup is right. My mom swears it's a panacea.

8. I have problems with the word AKATA. I hate it when Nigerians adopt a superiority complex. We're all black, we're all the same. But it's still funny to hear a Naija person a-KA-TA!

9. My parents are atypical Nigerians. Some of their closest friends are AKATA people and OYIBO people .

10. Yeah. I'm a feminist but it's the truth. If a Naija lady can't make soup or stew, she had better marry a non-Nigerian cuz that ish won't fly in a Nigerian household LOL. My mom puts it down in the kitchen!

If, you would prefer Moin Moin, or Farina (fufu) with soup over McDonalds any day.

If, you have ever treated a cold or sorethroat with "Pe-pe Soup".. AND IT WORKED!!!!!!

If you know what AKATA means.

If, your parents or relatives have ever disliked someone because of the simple fact that they were AKATA.

(for females) If, not being able to cook stew or soup is one of the most major burdens in life.

We have family friends whose daughters are named Chioma and Chinyere. I knew that their father is from Africa, so I think its safe to assume that he's Nigerian, judging from this post.

This made me smile. Here are my responses.

1. I refuse to "Americanize" my name for anyone--I'm a proud Nigerian. The 1st 2 syllables of my first name are easy to pronounce. That's what I go by.

2. Yep. I know what my ALL my names mean. LOL

3. As a student at Federal Gov College Port Harcourt in Rivers State, I encountered these names at least once. The most common ones were Ngozi and Obinna. Ola and Ade are prefixes of sorts, though. In my form four (sophomore) class we had Olatunde, Adebukola, Olafemi, Adekunle, Olatunji, Femilayo, etc. The name Chituru always cracked me up. Every Chituru I met was ghetto as hell!

4. Oh yes, the personality names. My friend's 3 sisters were named in the following order: Charity, Patience, and Faith. I knew a dude named GoodHope. I knew another guy named Charles Goodhead. And we had drivers named after everyday of the week, including Wednesday and Thursday. The most common weekday names were Sunday and Monday, I think.

5. Rice and stew is 'right' with fried plantain. I'm from Rivers State, so we don't call it dodo .

6. Moin moin is the bomb. It's also healthy. Farina is a poor substitute for garri/eba. Give me some eba with egusi soup made with goat meat and stockfish, and I'll be a very happy man .

7. Fo' sho! "Pepe" soup is right. My mom swears it's a panacea.

8. I have problems with the word AKATA. I hate it when Nigerians adopt a superiority complex. We're all black, we're all the same. But it's still funny to hear a Naija person a-KA-TA!

9. My parents are atypical Nigerians. Some of their closest friends are AKATA people and OYIBO people .

10. Yeah. I'm a feminist but it's the truth. If a Naija lady can't make soup or stew, she had better marry a non-Nigerian cuz that ish won't fly in a Nigerian household LOL. My mom puts it down in the kitchen!

This was fun, y'all.

1. My name is not too long to pronounce, but anyhow, i can't change my name so u have no choice than to pronounce it. i remember my first job in america, my manager could not pronounce my name, i gave her the first five letters, which i am commonly called, but still she forgets and i later make her call me the last four letters of my name. when my father heard, he was angry insisting that i force them to call my full name or the first five letters of my name.

2.i have close friends that bear names like sade, ola, chioma etc

3.The names of the week sounds normal to me especially sunday, friday and monday. However, people born on sundays as in females are called bosede instead of sunday

4.Rice and stew with dodo or fried plaintain is just a good combination and tasty too.

5.i prefer moinmoin to farina, i don't eat farina, i only ate it twice i think and that was when i was younger. however, i will take these dishes over Mcdonalds anyday, anytime

6. i know what AKATA means but i or my parents don't dislike people just bcos they are AKATA, as a matter of fact, i have friends who are AKATA.

7. as a Nigerian lady, i am proud to say that i can cook stew or soup, however, if an african woman or lady cannot cook stew or soup, she may find it difficult to find a nigerian guy to marry her except if the nigerian guy have stayed in the state for too long, even at that, my uncle has been in the united states for over 25 years and he still loves and eats african dish like cracy. Stew or soup are different, u have egusi, ogbona, ewedu, ila asepo etc. so therefore, a nigerian lady should know how to cook at least some type of african stew or soup

If, you would prefer Moin Moin, or Farina (fufu) with soup over McDonalds any day.

If, you have ever treated a cold or sorethroat with "Pe-pe Soup".. AND IT WORKED!!!!!!

If you know what AKATA means.

If, your parents or relatives have ever disliked someone because of the simple fact that they were AKATA.

(for females) If, not being able to cook stew or soup is one of the most major burdens in life.

This thread makes me lol. Half Yoruba checking in here (the other half is from Sierra Leone).

1. I go by my name without the prefix. Many have tried and failed to get me to adopt a even shorter version of my name. I am, however, the only Nigerian person I have ever met with my name so they can all get lost. My friends are great - they can pronounce my whole name but everyone in my office says my name differently, regardless of how much I correct them.

6. I have to break the mold and say I think Moin Moin is disgusting and always have. When I was a child, at a particularly strict family member's house, I was a little bit sick and couldn't swallow my food - it just kept coming back up. They still made me eat it all up. Lol but now I can't eat it at all.

9. Not at all. My mother is from Sierra Leone and thinks we're all animals. Lol.

10. So I can make stew (and was sent to an Aunts to be taught to make proper jollof rice), and I can make my boiler chicken. BUT I still (like my mother) burn any and every pot of rice I am left in charge of. It's pretty funny... til the family events.

Hey, i took you advise and I am getting a lot of replies. By the way what law firm did you work at? Also my brother is going to attend Washington and lee for undergrad Chiesque but I don't knwo how close your law campus is to the undergrad school.

I am so happy to hear that! I'm sorry I didn't respond earlier I rarely come on this site. I worked at Punuka Chambers, but probably by now you have already started. How did your cycle go? I'm heading off to Georgetown this fall and I feel so blessed cause I really wanted to go there. What about you, we're Nigerians so I know your cycle went well!